Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
by Spazzumtard
Summary: -working title- Diana freaks out after a startling discovery and she disappears. Five years later, the team is reunited and, while on a mission to Brazil, romance blossoms. Bad summary. More romance than any supernatural or mystery, which is why it's romance/general. MartinxDiana. One-Shot. Complete. Rated T to be safe.


**I found this a few days ago while looking though all of my past fanfics that I never finished. In honor of the POSSIBLE fourth season (nothing confirmed, but there is the possibility... *picks up protest sign* Fourth Season! Fourth Season!), I decided to re-write what I had and finish it. I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Do forgive any typos. It's 1am and I am tired. If you find any, let me know and I will fix them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Martin Mystery.**

* * *

Diana sat on her bed _trying_ to read one of her tweeny romance books. Sighing, she closed it and flipped over so she was laying on her back with her hair over the edge of her bed, barely skimming the floor. She just couldn't get into it. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. A small smile formed on her face as she let her mind wander. She didn't notice she was sliding off of her bed until she fell to the floor with a shriek and a thump.

A few seconds later a knock came to her door, bringing her out of her shock. The door cracked open a little and she saw a (slightly blurred) head of blond hair. "Diana, you aright?" Martin asked, stepping fully into her room. "I heard something fall."

She rubbed the back of her head and frowned. A bump was forming. "Yeah, I'm fine," she told him. "I just fell off my bed."

There was silence for about five seconds. Then Martin burst out, laughing his head off. Diana felt herself smiling slightly at his laughter but squashed it, glaring at him. She stood up, ready to go over and smack him and slam her door…or maybe slam her door while he's still halfway through it.

She took a step but then the world went sideways. She could feel herself falling, but something caught her. The laughter had stopped, she realized, and a strong arm was wrapped around her waist, keeping her from hitting the ground. She looked up into Martin's concerned face. "Are you really okay?" he asked her.

She blinked slowly, trying to clear her mind. "I hit my head when I fell," she admitted. "Can you help me to my bed so I don't fall again?"

Martin nodded and picked her up. She frowned; she had only asked for help, not to be carried. He laughed, noticing her pout. "Di, it's just easier this way." He set her on her bed and gave her a salute before walking out of her room, closing the door behind him. She rolled her eyes and picked up her book again.

As she read, the words started to blur. There were times the names changed completely.

_**Martin laughed, and then before I knew it, his arms were around me and he was pulling me towards him. "You're so different tonight, Diana," he said, his mouth so close I could feel his breath on his cheek. **_

"_**Mmm," I agreed. "This whole night has been unreal," I murmured into his chest. **_

"_**Is that so bad?" Martin asked gently. **_

_**Before I could answer, he leaned down and kissed me.**_

_WOAH! Diana!_ She closed her eyes for a moment. Then she opened them again, looking wary at her book. The names were still the same—Diana and Martin instead of Sarah and Henry, like there were supposed to be!

She shook her head, trying to clear the image, but the world went sideways again. _Maybe that bump messed with my head a bit_, she decided. She closed her book quickly and set it aside for later—when the brain damage was gone along with the bump.

She laid back in her bed again, this time with her head on the pillows, and let her mind wander again. She thought back to what she had been thinking of before she had fallen…then sat up sharply, eyes wide.

Her thoughts—even from before—were along the same lines as what she saw in her book!

_I can't think of Martin like that! He's my brother!_

_Well, __**step-**__brother…_ Her eyes got even wider and she shook her head.

_No Diana! Stop it!_

_Dizzy…_

_Goodnight…_

And she fell back, unconscious.

* * *

The sound of laughter woke her up. She blinked, but the light was out in her room. Her desk lamp was on, which was perfect because too much light was bound to make her headache worse. She sat up slowly and noticed a TV tray next to her bed holding a chicken salad, a glass of ice water, and a few Oreos.

A door closed downstairs, the laughter tapering off. Diana guessed that her mom and Gerard just got home. On the days that her mother didn't work late (which wasn't that often) they would go out—sometimes not getting home until really late. Today wasn't one of those days, but they did get home after dinnertime.

Diana picked up the plate and the fork and dug in. She had eaten about half of it when a thought struck her.

If her mom and step-dad were only just getting home, how did she get the salad?

_Martin_. He was the only other person home… Unless Java had stopped by, but it seemed unlikely.

_Why is he being so nice?_ She thought. _It needs to stop before I do something so very __**unlike**__ me!_ She had not forgotten her thoughts from before she went unconscious.

She could hear the adults talking to Martin—apparently he had left her door open a bit. "You didn't bother Diana too much while we were gone, did you?" Gerard asked him.

"No," was Martin's reply, and Diana could hear a bit of stiffness in the tone. "She actually fell off her bed…"

Both parents chuckled and she frowned. "It's not funny!" she shouted down to them.

"Oh, you're awake now?" Martin called back.

"Awake?" Diana's mother asked, pushing her door open and coming inside her room. "Did you take a nap?" Diana nodded, but grabbed her head as the world spun yet again. Martin tossed her a cold compress, which she accepted thankfully and held against the bump. Her mom's eyes went worried and she pulled the compress back to take a look. "What happened?" she asked in a tone she usually used at the hospital where she worked.

Diana felt her cheeks flush. "I hit my head when I fell."

"Against what?"

"The floor," Martin supplied with a grin. She sent him a glare.

Diana's mom 'hmm'd but put the compress against Diana's head again. "It's just a goose-egg. You'll have a few dizzy spells here and there, but they'll be gone in about a week."

Diana nodded, expecting that. The adults walked out, giving her some quiet. Martin followed them, but she spoke up. "Martin." He turned curiously. "Thanks…for dinner." She gestured awkwardly at the tray of half-eaten food.

He smiled brightly. "No problem, Di." And with that, he shut her door.

She groaned and covered her eyes with her hands. _What is the matter with me? It's like I'm falling for Martin!_

Her eyes snapped open. _Oh…no no no! I can't…I can't!_

…_but I am…_

_This is bad. This is __**really**__ bad!_

The next day when the mother went to check on her daughter, she found a half-eaten salad, an empty bed, and a missing duffle bag.

* * *

Diana walked through the trees in the park, just wandering. She didn't know where to go—she wasn't in this town very often. She was at school most of the time, when she wasn't on missions. And usually when she was at home (her parent's home, really) she stayed there reading.

Reading wasn't going to help her now though. She had wandered off the main trails, hoping to find a place to make shelter of some kind where no one could find it straight away. Every once in a while she had to stop and hold her head. Her dizzy spells haven't gone away, though it had only been less than a day.

A big dizzy spell hit her and she had to sit down. Thankfully there was a large rock nearby that was good size. She stayed there until her vision cleared, but she didn't want to get back up. That for sure would cause another big spell. Psyching herself up, she stood slowly.

"Hi Diana!"

She spun around in surprise. "Billy! Don't do that to me!" Her eyes crossed and she couldn't see Billy clearly for a few seconds.

"Diana, is something wrong?" the small alien asked.

Diana rested a hand against the rock she had previously sat on and closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm fine. What did you want?"

"M.O.M wants to talk to you."

She started panicking. If she went, she'd be going on a mission with Martin! "I can't Billy—"

He held up a hand. "M.O.M just wants to talk. It's not for a mission."

Diana's frantic heart calmed a bit. Still a little unsure, she hesitantly agreed. "Um…alright. I guess…"

The little alien smiled brightly at her and opened a portal. They both stepped though and Diana was surprised she didn't have to be cleared—they ended up right in M.O.M's office. The dark haired lady was facing away from her, working on something Diana couldn't see very well (and she was sure it was something she didn't want to get too close to).

"Um, M.O.M? Billy said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes." She pressed a button and whatever she was working on lowered into the floor. She turned around. "Martin contacted me. Asked me to find you."

Diana groaned. "I shouldn't have come."

M.O.M's eyebrow arched. "I'm not going to tell him where you are unless you want me to."

The teenager blinked in wonderment. "Really?"

She nodded. "Can I ask why you ran away though?" she asked, gesturing to two rising chairs, something Diana was rather grateful for. Her head was hurting.

After she sat down, she remembered M.O.M's questions and blushed. "Um…I'd rather not say…"

"Did you realize your attraction to Martin?" M.O.M asked point-blank.

Diana gaped. "M.O.M!"

The older woman shrugged and grabbed a pot that suddenly appeared, along with a mug. "I saw it before. It was faint though," she said, pouring some coffee.

Diana groaned and buried her flaming face into her hands. "I had to get away," she said faintly. "Before something happened…something…_bad_."

M.O.M only nodded. "I understand. Don't worry. I'll tell him you're safe, but not where you are."

Diana nodded in thanks before slumping back in her chair. A water bottle appeared next to her and she grabbed it. "Not like you could tell him anyway," she said, cracking open the top. "I've got nowhere to go."

She took a gulp of water and missed the smirk M.O.M had on her face. "Billy," M.O.M called. Once the green alien popped in, she turned to him. "Take Diana to my home."

The brunette's head snapped up. "What?" she gasped. Then groaned. She flopped over the side of the chair and fell to the floor, her water spilling on the other side of the chair.

M.O.M looked at the teenager. "Well, take her after she wakes up." Billy nodded and pushed a button. A cot lifted from the floor and M.O.M dragged Diana over to it, getting her comfortable. Afterwards, she walked over to her desk and, making sure Diana couldn't be seen, pushed a call button.

Martin's face appeared almost instantly. "Did you find her? Is she okay?"

"Diana's fine. We don't know for sure where she is, but we know she's in no danger," M.O.M said, not feeling bad at all for lying to the agent.

His eyes narrowed in confusion. "How can you know that but not know where she is?" he asked angrily.

M.O.M didn't answer. Instead she asked, "Why do you want to find her so badly?"

Martin blinked. "She's my sister!" he exclaimed.

"Is that all she is?"

"What?" the blond asked, feeling very confused now.

"I have to go," M.O.M said stiffly. "I have a call." With that, she shut off the communication and turned to the sleeping Diana. _Now, how do I wake her up?_

* * *

After Diana's disappearance, the Lombard-Mystery family fell apart. At first it was tense and stiff between all of the remaining members, but then the fights started. Martin avoided his parents, actually working harder on his schoolwork and almost begging Billy and M.O.M for missions.

The adults, however, didn't have such distractions. The dates no longer happened as both tried to find their distractions, pulling away from each other in the process. Diana's mom also felt that Gerard didn't feel worried about Diana and, after one huge blowout, she left for a drive. She didn't pay attention, looking intently at every brunette she saw, and didn't notice the light turn red.

During this time Diana was living with M.O.M in a little house in the middle of a field. She was learning all sorts of things she would never have tried at Torrington. M.O.M even brought in tutors to help Diana get her diploma and even a degree. She became M.O.M's protégé and, though she didn't go out on missions anymore, she did some behind-the-scenes studying for The Center.

Her mom, after her accident, could no longer work. Diana was torn about going back, but told herself that Gerard would take care of her. He did, but it wasn't even a year later that they, in another fight, decided to divorce.

A week after the divorce was finalized, she was in another crash. This time, she didn't make it.

When Diana heard that, she felt awful. She stayed in her room and didn't bother with her tutors. She blamed herself for leaving, for causing the family to fall apart, and for her mother's death. M.O.M gave her a week before she sat her down and explained that, having watched the family—especially after Gerard had been devoured by that worm—she learned the parents had been having troubles for years.

It was a part of the reason the two teenagers were sent to Torrington. They even lived in separate bedrooms except for when the kids were home. M.O.M helped her see that they were already separated, though living in the same house. Diana running away just gave them the excuse to do what they had wanted and make it official.

After that, Diana was able to overcome her self-blame (after a lot of work) and properly mourn her mother. When she started coming down to breakfast with smiles, M.O.M broached another subject.

Diana was still a minor, though only for a year or less. M.O.M asked if she would consider becoming her adopted daughter. With that, they became more than just co-workers. They became a family, however they acted more like sisters than mother and daughter.

* * *

**FIVE YEARS AFTER DIANA'S ****DISAPPEARANCE**

Olivia walked into her adopted daughter's room. Taking a deep breath, she yelled. "WAKE UP DIANA!"

The brunette young woman leapt out of bed and landed with a soft thump. She looked up through her now short hair and glared at Olivia. "You didn't have to do that!"

M.O.M smirked. "But it was fun." She left after that, calling over her shoulder that they were leaving in fifteen minutes.

Diana rolled her emerald eyes and her 'mom' and stood to get ready for the day. Today was a special day. She and M.O.M had decided when she first came here that, while she would work at The Center, she wouldn't have to see Martin until she felt she was ready.

She took a deep breath and passed by her usual Center uniform of all white. Instead, she grabbed her red tank top and cargo pants, along with a denim vest with lots of pockets. She completed her outfit with a familiar necklace—identical to the one Martin wore. It was her way of staying connected with him over these years. She was going on a mission.

She was ready to see him.

* * *

When his U-Watch started beeping, Martin motioned to Java from the living room. Java shut the oven off and left the kitchen, following Martin to what was usually a simple closet. Opening the door revealed the portal to The Center. As they left their shared apartment, Martin felt that usual spike of pain. It always happened when he walked through a portal to The Center.

_She_ should be there with them. _She_ should have her name announced after his. _She _should be there; disregarding every one of his theories about what monster they would be facing next.

But she wasn't. She hadn't been there for five years, and yet the pain never went away.

"Hey guys!" Billy said, hovering over to them.

Martin grinned, shoving the pain into the back recesses of his mind. He bumped fists with Billy. "Hey little man. What've you got for us today?"

Billy's smile brightened. "I think you'll like this mission. Hey Java, how have you been?" he asked, smacking a hand on the caveman's back. Martin's eyes narrowed curiously—Billy had never done that before—but he shook it off.

When the doors to M.O.M's office opened, the first thing they saw was a wall missing and a shorthaired brunette falling through the gap. Martin hurried over and was prepping his U-Watch with the turbo bungee, but M.O.M put her hand up. "Hold on, Agent Mystery."

Laughter rang out from the hole and Martin looked out. The girl was on a hover board and was gliding around the lab. She turned around and started back up to where M.O.M's office was, flying though the same gap she had fallen through. "Work's good Mom, but it still has a few kinks to work out. I have to force it to go straight—it leans to the right a lot."

M.O.M nodded and took the board, placing it on her desk for future work. She turned to Martin and Java, who was glancing between the younger and older women. "Martin, Java; meet your new partner."

The girl didn't turn around right away. It looked like she was prepping herself. With a deep breath, she turned around, giving them a sheepish smile. "Hi guys."

Martin studied her intently, stopping at her eyes. _Could it be?_ he wondered.

M.O.M smiled. "Or should I say, _reunite_."

Martin's eyes widened to saucers. _It could!_

Diana looked straight back at him, not cowering under his intense gaze though it looked like she wanted to. Finally, Martin looked between her and the hover board on the desk, stopping on her one last time. "Did you just fly in here?" he asked. It was the first think he could think to say.

Her face broke out into a brilliant smile and she leapt on him, giving him the hug-of-death. He didn't care. He was just happy to find her again. After a while, she backed away and gave him a wry grin. "Yes, I did just fly in here. Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged. "Because you've never really been all that thrill seeking."

Diana pouted, but nodded admitting he had a point. She looked over at the still confused Java and decided to help him out. "Hey Java, it's me. Diana…"

The caveman blinked once then smiled brightly. "Diana! Java missed Diana!" he said, grabbing her in a bone-breaking hug.

She wrapped her arms around his wide shoulders, ignoring her lungs screaming for relief. "Diana missed Java too." As soon as he let go, she took a deep breath.

M.O.M cleared her throat. "Well Agents, as touching as this reunion is, you _do_ have an assignment."

Diana stood at attention. "Status," she requested professionally.

M.O.M walked over to her desk and pushed a button. A hologram appeared showing a city with a nearby forest. "Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has been host to deforestation companies for the last few years. However, lately crewmen have been wandering into their camp long after they had been reported missing, mumbling and blabbering about nonsense."

She zoomed out on the hologram, showing the massive areas that have had trees removed. "There are some supernatural forces at work in rain forest. Trackers have been hired and they have found tracks, but they didn't lead to anything. The workers are frightened, yes, but so are the government officials who are planning on writing laws to stop the massive deforestation. They need to go into the forest, but they refuse."

"I'll bet it's some kind of voodoo," Martin said. "Or invisible tree gnomes! No one can see them—"

"Hence the 'invisible'," Diana put in, cutting him off. He frowned at her while M.O.M just rolled her eyes. It was like they had never been apart.

ACHOO!

Everyone jumped at the volume of the sneeze. Java grinned sheepishly and sniffed, wiping at his nose.

Martin groaned. "Oh Java."

Diana narrowed her eyes and reached over M.O.M's desk, pressing a button. A hologram of Java's heat signature appeared, the temperature fluctuating randomly. "Yup, Java's sick," she said, giving M.O.M a calculating look. The older woman just ignored her.

"Billy," M.O.M said, turning to the hovering alien. "Take Java to the infirmary."

"Sure thing," he said. "Let's go buddy."

"Java no feel good," the caveman grunted as they walked out.

"Well," M.O.M started. "You two are on your own then. Off to Brazil with you."

Martin missed the knowing look Diana gave to the older woman and walked through the portal. Diana walked closer to it, but hung back a bit. "I know you did that to Java on purpose. I worked on that drug," she said, glaring at M.O.M.

M.O.M grinned. "I don't know what you are talking about," she said silkily. Then her eyes hardened. "But, if you two come back and you aren't together, I will give the hover board to Marvin first."

You could see the sparks between their stares. Diana huffed and strolled through the portal, which closed right after, while M.O.M grinned to herself. _  
_

* * *

Martin and Diana walked in silence for a while, looking around the forest for signs of supernatural evidence. He wasn't really paying much attention, focusing more on watching her out of the corner of his eye. She looked good…he hated that.

Her chin-length cropped hair suited her, surprisingly. She looked ready to be out in the forest as well, with her cargo pants and her purple vest. What was odd though was the red tank top. She used to only wear purple, so why the red?

He had changed as well. He no longer stuck all of his hair up, but it was still spikey. And he had ditched the two-colored flame shirt. But those were all of his major changes. She had changed a _lot_.

He shook his head, forcing himself away from _those_ thoughts. "You know," he started, breaking the silence. She turned to look at him. "Nothing was the same at home after you left."

She forced a grin. "Did you miss me?" she asked, trying to keep their conversation light.

Martin recognized this and pretended to choke. "What? No. Are you kidding?"

Diana didn't move except to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, okay," Martin relented. "Maybe a little."

He wasn't expecting the hug that came. "Good," she said. "Because I've missed you too."

He pulled back. "What? You missed me? Even with my annoyingness?"

She laughed. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

They continued on in a more comfortable silence this time. They were nearly to the base camp when Martin decided to ask the awkward question. "Why did you leave?" he wondered softly.

Diana stiffened. "That's…not important…"

He frowned. "If it's not important then it couldn't have been a very good reason."

She glared at him. "It was a perfectly good reason."

"Then what was it?" he asked shortly, crossing his arms and towering over her.

Diana's lips formed a thin line and her eyes narrowed. "Can we just find out what's happening here, please?" she said firmly. With that, she walked off into the camp, leaving Martin behind glaring at her back.

* * *

The teammates got a lot of information from the camp, though they hadn't been able to talk (or try to talk) with the rambling crewmen. They did get a ride from the lumberjacks into the city. It was late, so they checked into a hotel suite (putting it on The Center's bill, of course) planning on investigating the next day. Walking into their separate rooms, they noticed a suitcase on each of their beds.

It was something that The Center had started doing. They would track their agents and port in suitcases with each agent's pre-packed clothes so that they had changes instead of being stuck wearing the same clothing they received their mission in. A wonderful idea considering more often than not you're facing a slime monster of some sort.

A knock came at the door that separated their rooms, interrupting Diana's thoughts. She had been trying to find an excuse that would allow her to go visit with Martin, but apparently he beat her to it. She stood and opened the door. "Hi," she said with a smile.

He stood there stiffly, as if unsure of himself. "Hi," he repeated back to her. "Um…I was thinking that maybe we could bat some ideas back and forth. See if we could come up with an idea of what this might be."

Her smile got even bigger. "Of course. Although we don't know a whole lot of what is happening." Martin shifted, nodding in understanding. She could tell she was losing him. "But," she said quickly. He looked up at her as she thought about what she could do. "Um, maybe after we go through all of that, we could watch a movie…?" she said, trailing off.

Martin grinned, the skin tugging at a scar that had not been there five years ago. "Sounds good."

They sat on the couch in her room, each holding a pad of paper and writing notes on what they knew. Like Diana predicted, they didn't have a whole lot and finished rather quickly. She told him to pick a movie because she was going to go change into some cooler clothes. The room was so hot and muggy. And he had already changed into some looser clothes as well.

She came back in wearing a loose tank top and some long shorts—her typical pajamas. She almost wore a strappy tight tank and some tiny shorts, but didn't want to freak him out too much. She looked at the movie Martin had started and couldn't help the grin. So typical. A supernatural scary movie. Probably one that he had seen lots of times already.

She sat on the couch next to him, deciding to be a bit more forward and grabbed his arm, pulling it over her shoulder and holding it there. With her peripherals she could see the shock on his face. "So, what's this movie called?" she asked, trying not to smile at the expression.

"Beast Beneath the Sea," he choked out.

Diana tilted her head, having a déjà vu moment. "Wait, this is the movie you talked about when we found the Leviathan."

Martin thought back too. "Yeah, I guess it is."

She gave him a wry smile. "Well, it's a good choice. I haven't seen it before." His chin lifted up and he looked very proud of himself. "But don't you ever get bored with these kinds of movies? What with our jobs and all that," she asked him.

Martin shrugged. "Eh, it helps me think of theories."

"Usually wrong theories," she couldn't help adding in. He pouted and tugged at her hair, causing her to giggle. She turned to look at him directly, raising a hand to his cheek where his scar was. "What happened here?" she asked quietly.

Martin didn't speak for a while, the faint noise of the movie going on in the background. Diana started to think he wasn't going to tell her at all, so she was a little surprised when he spoke. "A couple of years ago, Java and I were on assignment in England. People had been seeing big black cats and dogs and bears with red glowing eyes. And those who saw it either had someone close to them die or a great disaster would happen to them, and other things like that."

Diana's eyes widened, watching him intently as he told her this story. "It ended up being a Barguest. Do you know what a Barguest is?" he asked her. She shook her head. "It's a shape shifter that, no matter the shape, has horns, claws, fangs—you get the idea. And it was black—almost soulless black. Anyway, Java and I captured it, but it still scratched me."

Diana trailed a finger over the scar. "If it was just a scratch, wouldn't it have healed already?"

Martin shook his head. "No, if the Barguest wounds you, even one as small as this, they never heal. I was really lucky to just have something this small. Luckier still that it didn't get my eye."

Her hands stilled on his cheek and he turned to look at her. Green eyes met brown. "That would have been horrible," she whispered. Losing an eye would have meant he'd have lost his job as an agent.

They stared at each other for a while. A scream from the TV caught Diana's attention and she glanced at it for a moment. When she looked back at Martin, the moment was gone. He was watching the movie now. So Diana followed suit, curling up deeper under his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. She missed his surprised look.

* * *

A few days passed and they still could not figure out the problem going on with the lumberjacks. They had even been witness to one of the crew wandering into the camp babbling about flowers and June bugs. Tracking the creature failed also. They found footprints and were obviously a humanoid creature, though not fully human. Following them led nowhere, however. They were starting to lose patience with the mission—one of the longest they had ever been on. So they decided to spend a day or two as tourists. Guess what that meant…

Beaches!

The hotel they were staying at even gave Martin a good place to rent a surfboard. He had left to get it, leaving Diana to claim a spot on the beach for their stuff. She sat on her spread out beach towel and scowled at the people around her. Well, not all of the people. Most of the girls. They were wearing string bikinis—how was she supposed to compete with that for Martin's attention?

She looked over where he was, bringing his board back towards her location. And sure enough, his eyes were bugging out and his head turning every which way, checking out the female population on the beach.

She waited for him, under the guise of pulling out a sandwich and a soda from the cooler they brought. She heard his voice talking to one of the many girls nearby and snuck a glance at him. He was facing her, so she took a chance. She wasn't wearing a string bikini—her suit was more modest, but it was still a little revealing. She stood, pulling her shorts off, and then the shirt followed. Her glasses helped her spy a bit on Martin who, she was very happy to notice, had stumbled over his words as he watched her.

Maybe she _could_ compete with these string-bikini-girls. Or he just hadn't thought much about her actually having curves and was that surprised… Diana chose to believe the first.

He came over to her soon after she had lain back down on her towel. Either the girl noticed he wasn't paying much attention to her, or she was stuck up and he had said something about the paranormal and she dismissed him as a nerd. As he sat down on the towel next to her, she lifted her glasses onto her head and smiled at him.

"Nice suit," he said awkwardly.

She grinned. "Thanks. Yours too," she replied, letting her eyes wander over him obviously. When she reached his face again, she was pleased to note the blush across his cheeks. She would have thought he'd have grown out of that already, but apparently not. She did wish he would take the open button-down shirt off. She wanted to see his arms, though his chest _was_ something to behold.

Almost as if granting her wish, he peeled it off, leaving him in his long board shorts. She allowed herself a longer gaze. He had a small grin on his face when she raised her eyes this time, but no more blush. She decided to fix that.

"Yes, very nice," she said, looking intently into his eyes, making sure he knew exactly what she meant. And there was the blush. She grinned triumphantly and lowered her sunglasses back over her eyes. They were dark enough that she could ogle him without it being obvious; she had made sure of that.

She faced her head forward, though still watched him out of the corner of her eye. She had to bite her tongue to keep from smiling when she realized he was gazing at her similarly to how she had gazed at him. It made her think back to two days ago when he had confronted her about why she had ran away five years before.

He told her he was going off to surf. She nodded, letting him know she had heard, and lost herself in a flash back.

* * *

_Like the day when they ended up watching Beast Beneath the Sea into the night, Martin knocked on the door that separated them. When she opened it this time, it wasn't an awkward man standing there. Instead, it was a determined and a little bit angry man. "Yes?" she asked. _

"_You still haven't explained."_

"_Explained what?"_

_His eyes narrowed. "Why you ran away," he said shortly. _

_Diana's eyes widened slightly. "I told you before that it wasn't important…"_

"_If it's not important, why won't you tell me?"_

_Now she was getting mad too. Her defense had always been offense. "It doesn't matter anyway—we're together now. So why do you need to know so badly?"_

"_Because you're my sister!" Martin shouted. _

_She flinched—she __**hated**__ that S-word. She didn't want him to think of her as a step-sister. She wanted him to see her as someone who he actually _could_ have—someone who wanted him as well! She planted a glare on her face, but inside she was calculating. Maybe she could have some fun…_

_She crossed her arms under her breasts. She was wearing a v-neck, so it became very obvious that they were being pushed up a bit. She did a little internal happy dance when she noticed his eyes looking down at them. _

"_Is that all I am?" she asked simply. _

_He blinked at her, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "M.O.M said the same thing…" he said under his breath—probably not even realizing he had said that out loud. _

_Diana put a hand to his chest and stepped closer to him, nearly pressing herself against his front. "I promise, Martin," she started, staring up at him thoughtfully. "I __**will**__ tell you why. But not today. Soon though."_

* * *

After that moment, she felt like she could be more forward with him and he wouldn't judge her. And he had probably figured it out already—he was smart, though he didn't show it much. She watched him in the surf. He'd gotten better than when he was a teenager, but she couldn't help laughing when he fell.

She stayed there watching him for a while before deciding she had put enough sun on her front. She flipped over, resisting the temptation to face the ocean so she could keep watching him. Instead she grabbed a book she had packed and laid on her stomach, reading.

She became absorbed into her book quickly and lost track of time. It wasn't until Martin returned that she came back back to reality.

"MARTIN! I'm going to kill you!" she shrieked.

The blond boy, who was now running down the beach being chased by a pissed off brunette, had come up quietly behind her to keep from disturbing her. She had definitely not expected the water that he poured onto her back.

SMACK!

"Ow! Diana!"

Even with the physical abuse, they both couldn't stop their grins.

Yes. This was familiar. It just felt…right.

* * *

Diana was laughing so hard she was having a hard time getting her key into the door. Martin finally took over and unlocked the door easily and she followed him inside.

"What's so wrong with that idea? I think it would be fun," he questioned.

"Yes, but a club? You want to go to a club? You can barely dance!" Diana exclaimed, still laughing.

"Hey!" Martin cried, affronted. "I can too dance. I can do the sprinkler…and the running man…and the moonwalk!" And, to prove his point, he started doing just that.

Diana felt a stitch forming in her side from laughing so hard. She shook her head at his antics and tried to calm down. While watching him do the moonwalk (badly), she had a sudden epiphany. "Martin…that's it!" He stopped dancing when she said his name, so he saw her coming at him but he was still thrown for a loop when she slid into his arms, facing outward so his front was against her back. She had his arm up and was bringing up the Legendex.

He bent his neck to see what she was looking for. A creature popped up and her grin turned huge. She looked over at him, blinking in surprise at how close his face was to hers, but she didn't back away.

"I think I found our creature," she said quietly.

"What is it?" he asked, just as quietly. His gaze dropped to her lips a couple of times before he forced them to stay on her eyes.

When he stopped glancing at her lips, she turned back to the Legendex. "The Curupira," she read. "It's a Brazilian mythological creature. It looks similar to a dwarf and can create illusions as well as produce a high pitched whistle to scare it's victims but it can also cause them to go insane. It also has backwards feet, so that people who try to track it go the wrong way, ending up at the spot where the Curupira started."

Martin studied the Legendex page. "Well, it looks like we won't be going clubbing."

* * *

Finding the Curupira turned out to be really simple once they knew to track it by following the footprints backwards. And, kudos to them, they were able to reason with it! It was quite a shock that, when it noticed they didn't have any tree damaging tools or hunting gear, it appeared to them right off. And after explaining to the deforestation crew and the government officials that so long as there were no more lumberjacks tearing down trees, there would be no more insanity suits. And those that had gone insane were taken to The Center for some intense therapy, but they would return to normal soon enough.

Martin and Diana had one more night in Brazil in order to pack before they would be called back to The Center. After he had packed most of his things (except the stuff he'd be using in the morning), Martin started pacing his room. Walking from the adjoining door to the couch to the small kitchenette to the bed, he couldn't stay still. He wanted to go to Diana's room again, but couldn't come up with a good enough excuse other than he wanted to spend more time with her—_just_ her.

_She'd see right though that_, he decided. She was too smart not to.

_But_, his conscience countered. _Think about the way she's been acting…_ That was true, she had been acting strange…different. Like she _liked_ him.

Martin went over to the door that only opened on his side, expecting Diana's side to be closed as usual. He had already raised a hand to knock when he opened his door. It was surprising to see her side was already opened.

She looked over at him from where she was reading on the couch. "Hi. I was hoping you'd come over," she said with a smile.

He walked over to her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah…" What could he say? He didn't have an excuse to be there. But apparently he hadn't really needed one. He sat next to her on the couch. "What are you reading?"

Diana put her book on the coffee table. "Just some different renditions of well-known fairy tales."

Martin hmm'd. They sat in silence for a moment. "Why did you hope I'd come over?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Diana shifted on her cushion. Her eyebrows furrowed, as if trying to find the right place to start. A spark entered her eye—an idea—and she scooted closer to him. She reached out to the necklace he always wore—a simple red pendant. "For as long as I've known you, I've never seen you without this," she said, rubbing a thumb over the gem.

Before he could say anything, she tugged an identical pendent from under the collar of her shirt. "I got this a little after I left," she told him quietly. "It hurt so much to not be near you, so I got this as a way to keep you with me always."

Martin reached out and held her necklace while she still held his. His eyes moved from the red jewel to her eyes. "If it hurt you to be away from me, why did you leave?" he asked in a whisper, half expecting her to dismiss the question for a third time.

There was worry in her eyes—fear for some reason or other. Maybe she was afraid he would reject what she said. But she didn't speak; instead she just watched him. Her hand drifted from his necklace and rested against his chest, right over his heart. Her shoulders tensed as her vision went from his eyes to his lips and, without any more warning, she leaned in.

His eyes went wide. He couldn't think of what was going on as she captured his lips with her own. He was in shock—what was she doing?

_The hell with what __**she**__ is doing. Why aren't you doing anything back?!_

Deciding his conscience was right, his hands came up around her—one going to her neck to keep her mouth right where it was, the other gripping and digging into her waist. He wasn't letting her get away from him. Not now.

Her hands had moved up past his neck and were twisting into his hair. The kiss was gentle but sensual. They didn't deepen the kiss—no teeth or tongues were used. Just their lips and their feelings were shared between them. It was long and slow and they only pulled apart when oxygen became low.

Their foreheads met and their eyes remained closed as they panted for air, holding onto that feeling of wholeness that had come over them. Finally, as Diana regained her breath, she pulled back enough to look at him fully.

Martin opened his eyes to stare at her. There was no curiosity in his eyes, only understanding and love. He knew _exactly_ why things had happened all those years ago, but he still wanted her to confirm it. So she did.

"This is why I left," she whispered, trailing her hand along his jaw. "I was falling in love with you, but nothing could happen then." Diana closed her eyes again and rested her forehead against his. "It can now though," she breathed against his lips.

He couldn't stop the slow smirk that grew across his face. "I'm glad," he murmured, his arms around her waist pulling her flush against his chest as they kissed again.

* * *

M.O.M looked up as the duo walked through the portal into her office. "How'd it go, team?" she asked them. The look she gave Diana told them that she wanted to know more than just how the mission went.

Martin explained about the Curupira. It had promised not to cause trespassers to go insane anymore, though it could chase anyone who harmed the creatures or trees in _his_ forest all he wanted. Just no lasting damage was the Curupira's only rule. They, in turn, would work with the government to stop the massive deforestation—especially in that area.

They didn't say anything about their…'other find' while in Brazil.

M.O.M was disappointed. She had hoped they would have been able to work everything out, but it looked like they hadn't…yet. She knew _something_ would happen between them. Eventually.

For now, she dismissed them to go see to the third member of their team in the infirmary (though Java's artificial sickness was cleared up within a few hours. But they didn't need to know that, M.O.M decided). They turned around to leave, but Diana stopped. She hurried over to M.O.M's desk and pressed a button before the older woman could guess what she was doing.

"I'll be taking this, by the way," the brunette said, lifting the hover board onto her shoulder and giving M.O.M a wink. She walked back to Martin and grabbed his offered hand. They walked out of the office together.

M.O.M watched them with a calculating look before a large smile grew across her lips. _Finally!_

They weren't going to be apart any longer. They were together, and that was how it was going to stay.

* * *

**So, the mythological creatures mentioned are actual mythological creatures from different cultures.**

**Barguest (Northern England): Usually depicted as a large mastiff dog or a bear with red eyes like hot coals, horns, fangs, and has been seen wrapped in chains or dragging chains. Other accounts say it was a headless woman, a rabbit, or a dog. The mere sight of this creature would bring death and disaster. Attacks (scars/wounds) from a Barquest will never heal.**

**Curupira (Brazil): A humanoid creature with backward-pointing feet. Usually a benign creature, but if a hunter injured an animal and left them to die, the Curupira would take revenge on the hunter. If hunters don't leave wounded behind to die, the Curupira is rather forgiving. He does not like lumberjacks either and he's protective of the forest and the animals that live there. Interestingly, if you pay him with tobacco, he will help herd your animals.**

**I understand that it's rather ridiculous for Diana to run away in the beginning of this story, but I started this a few years ago.**

**Java got sick because Billy infected him with a drug The Center worked up. Easily reversible, but M.O.M was playing matchmaker. I almost brought Marvin in as a third partner for them, but when I decided on what paranormal thing was happening, he would have been useless except as a obstacle between Martin and Diana.**

**Diana took the hover board as a subtle way of telling M.O.M that she and Martin worked things out. And she _really_ didn't want it to go to Marvin.**

**Diana wears red in this story as a homage to Martin's clothing colors. Like the necklace, it was a way to have him with her all the time.**

**I think that's all the notes I wanted to put in here. If there are any questions, feel free to ask and I will answer.**

**Please tell me what you thought! Review Review Review!**


End file.
